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The Id and The Odyssey; Episode 43

Meeting The Hudsons

It was a
Victorian two story home, grey with burgundy trim. A winding
flagstone walk led to the front door.

Rich knocked on
the door. It was Katie who came to the door with a confluence of
Thanksgiving meal odors.

She was modest,
no makeup, white blouse and a long blue skirt. She was petit. Her
features were distinct. She was naturally beautiful. Rich was
momentarily mesmerized by her looks.

“You must be
Richard,” she smiled, grabbed his hand, and led Rich in. “I’m
Katie.”

“Nice to meet
you, Katie,” Rich said.

“Sam has told
me a lot about you,” Katie said. “And I’m so glad you were able
to make it. Where are your Indian friends?”

Rich laughed.

“Sam! Richard’s
here,” she called out.

Sam came down the
stairs and greeted Rich with a hand shake. “It’s good to see you,
Richard.”

“You too, Mr.
White,” Rich said.

“Once you are a
guest at my home it’s no longer Mr. White. It’s Sam, Ok,” Sam
said.

“Ok,” Rich
paused and added, “Sam.”

“Coffee?” Sam
said.

“Sure, just
cream,” Rich said.

They sat in the
living room. It was rich and comfortable. There was a fire in the
fireplace and a mahogany clock on the mantle. The furniture was
leather and plush. The paintings looked like originals.

“How do you
like the coffee?” Sam said after Rich sipped it.

“It’s really
good,” Rich said. “Stronger than what I’m used to.”

“It’s called
a French Roast and Katie did it like the French do.”

“Well here’s
to Guillotine, Silhouette, and Crapper and all other famous
Frenchmen, though Crapper was not French the word toilet is.” Rich
said and sipped again.

“Silhouette was
a French minister of taxation or something like that and it was said
that after he taxed the French nothing was left except their shadow
or silhouette, and Crapper was the guy who invented the flush
toilet.”

“Incredible,”
Sam said looking at Rich with suspicious, delight, and curiosity.
“You mentioned that you read. What do you read.”

“My education
was something I hoped you would never ask me about,” Rich said.

“Why?” Sam
said.

“I spent two
years in the fifth grade and quit my freshman year of junior high,”
Rich said expecting Sam to take the coffee and ask him to leave.

Sam reached back
and grabbed three books from his book shelves. He placed two on the
floor about six inches from each other. He spanned the two books with
the third. “This is a man and a bridge,” he said walking his
fingers across the spanning book, “Tell me what is happening in as
few words as possible.”

“The man went
across the bridge,” Rich said.

“How did he get
from one side to another?” Sam said.

“He walked,”
Rich said.

“So rephrase
the sentence.”

“The man walked
across the bridge?” Rich said. “Wait a minute! He walked on the
bridge.”

“Why did you
change it?” Sam said.

“He is good
enough,” Rich said. “He tells us it is a man without saying ‘the
man and went.’ He could have run, walked, strolled, or crawled. And
I just was thinking that if you walk over a bridge it is usually for
the purpose of going from one side to another. We all know that.
Saying across or over almost sounds like there’s another structure
involved and not actually on the bridge or perhaps he levitated over
the bridge. I suppose, He walked the bridge would do, but that almost
sounds like a lash would be involved.”

Sam grinned. “I
want you to go to a city council meeting with me next Tuesday.”

A knock at the
door prevented any further conversation.

“That’s
Dennis and Peggy,” Sam said.

Sam and Katie
greeted them at the door and Dennis and Peggy Hudson were introduced
to Rich.

The were about 10
years younger than the Whites; placing them in their early thirties.
The looked rugged. Dennis looked as if he needed a haircut. He wore
well worn jeans and a well worn tweed jacket. Peggy’s hair was
pulled back and fell half way down her back. She had rough hands, yet
delicate facial features. She wore jeans and a flannel shirt.

“Lets all go in
the living room and get acquainted,” Sam said.

Katie served
coffee and everyone sat and relaxed.

“I got here a
little over a month ago from Ohio,” Rich said. “I peddled my bike
all the way. Well, that’s not completely correct; I hoped a train
and got a few rides, but I peddled most the way. I just thought I’d
get it all out of the way.”

From Kenton Lewis: You Must Read This First To Know What The Heck Goes On Here

This site contains mostly fiction. Currently a novel is posted every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday entitled Beyond Beyond. It is broken down into short episodes between two and four pages each. Thus, if you enter on anything other than episode 1, it would be good the scroll down to find previous episodes.

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This Is He

Taken shortly after my beheading. I refused to give up coffee. "Not from my cold dead hands!"